Is there an import method for questions that allows you to also set the hints? I've been using GIFT for a number of years, but it's unclear if it handles the new Hints fields on questions.
The only import/export format that supports hints at the moment is Moodle XML format.
It would be nice to add support for it to GIFT. Probably the hardest part of that is deciding what the input format should be. It needs to be
- Similar to the bits of the format that already exist, so that it is easy for people to learn.
- The new sytax that we add must not be liable to misinterpretation.
Let us look at an example for what I mean by 2:
What's the answer to this multiple-choice question? {
~wrong answer#Here is a feedback comment on the wrong answer
~another wrong answer#feedback comment on this wrong answer
=right answer#Very good!
}
One thought migth be to allow hints by starting them with #H, as the final thing inside the {}. However, if we did that, we migh break this example question, which already contains the sequence of characters '#H'. That is the sort of things to guard agains.
The best think I can think of right now is to use ##, like this:
What's the answer to this multiple-choice question? {
~wrong answer#Here is a feedback comment on the wrong answer
~another wrong answer#feedback comment on this wrong answer
=right answer#Very good!
## Hint 1
## Hint 2
}
I think it is quite unlikely that questions contain ##. However, I am sure there are some questions out there which do contain that sequence. What do we do about those?
Can anyone think of a safer option?
(Would it work to put the hints outside the {}? We could even have a completely separate {Hints ... } bit of the question? That seems inconsistent with the rest of GIFT thougth, which puts all the question definition inside the {}.)
I agree, the Hints need to be within {} to stay consistent with the rest of the GIFT conventions. I like the ## because is a natural extension of the current use of a single # to denote feedback. I have done a few presentations on using GIFT to quickly generate quizzes and question banks, and I don't think it would be hard to explain to instructors how these two are different.
It's good to know that Moodle XML also supports hints. It was not clear from the documentation that it did. But I will follow some forum links, etc to sort it out.
I'd still rather use GIFT when at all possible. It's very simple and clean. I love it!